visit to Quetta

I am in Quetta .. how , why . That I don’t know . In fact , I didn’t even know that I was in Quetta till I was to leave this city . I asked someone who was escorting me ‘ Hey, which city are we in ? ‘ . He said ‘ Quetta ‘ . I said “ In that case , we must be close to Afghanistan . How far is the border “ . Just six kms ...I wondered , close yet so far !

I was ushered inside the meeting room of Quetta Businessman . He knew that I am from India and he had some proposals for me . One of them is to sell insurance in UP / Bihar and collect the premium . Well , my first question . Does your company have any presence in India ? You must have subsidiary . How can people buy insurance for the company that they don’t even know . Rest of the discussions not worth mentioning or rather remembering . While in his office , I saw some modern elegant young men and woman in fashionable dress . Few gals , wearing red Valentino  - hot couture -  dresses  - hugging other gals and by doing so , swinging their hair that were cut to shoulder length  . How modern Quetta is .

While I was watching them , owner arrives - oh , he is not the owner - he was the  General Manager . He was to take me to the owner to meet him . And there were three other guys too . One was Carrying Abbott business card . What is he doing while being with Abbott ? I wondered . We enter big banquet hall . Everyone standing in queue waiting for introduction to the Owner. His opulent palace was enough to know his financial power , GM said ‘ let me go and brief him about you and our discussions ‘ , He has little time to spend time with guests and it’s better he knows about you . Queue move at snails pace and so do I . When my turn comes to see him . As I shake my hand with His Excellency the Owner, who seem to be some Arab descent . GM asks me to move ahead . I am perplexed. What happened ?  Weren’t we supposed to discuss business . GM meets me as I leave the owner making way for people behind me . GM doesn’t say much but it is apparent that things didn’t work out . I am wondering if Abbott man upstaged me !! . GM connect me to young man and gal to accompany me to out of the city .

While I come out , I see brick layered houses - some dilapidated ,  some under construction - some dusty road while some nicely laid . That’s when I asked him “ which city are we in ? “ . 

He takes to the the airfield tarmac and I realise that I need to travel in a Plane . I shudder to think - this old and rickety plane - what if this crash ? Pakistan is in financial problems with no money to buy the spares for their plane . But I am relieved that this young man is with me  . We sit inside the plane . It’s propeller plane with huge glass panes on the front side with pilot under belly of the aircraft . I realise there is opening below the feet for ventilation and the horizontal steel bar on the front to hold in case of any bumpy ride . This bar and glass panes remind me of double decor bus in singapore . Other passengers are seated behind . I take the front seat looking down as plane takes off . I see the terraces of houses and I think what if I jump from this small gap in case plane crashes . Would I survive ? While this thought coming , plane starts descending . I realise that pilot knowing precarious condition of the aircraft , doesn’t take the plane to high altitude but after some time bring to the road whenever city comes and drives like a bus .

We arrive in the city of criss cross of roads as avenues & streets - there are no signals - and our plane keeps going straight making me amused how cars coming from right and left don’t crash . I don’t see many cars at least in the vicinity .  I am impressed by the buildings and the architecture  of this city and I am told that we are in Karachi . It seems the owner asked GM to send his young manager to Karachi for me . We get down and start walking . Rains had just over and I can see poodles of rainwater along . He ask me for lunch , we go around that looks like ground floor of some building , there are chairs strewn all over . I sit down and think what should I order that won’t have beef . 

And that’s when my journey stops as abruptly as it started ...

Another wonderful and beautiful dream comes to an end . 

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